Homeless Haddock
by RedLegoManiac
Summary: MODERN AU: Hayden 'Hiccup' Haddock is the man who lives in the alley next to Astrid Hofferson's apartment with his dog Toothless... Suffering from past demons, he must reconcile with his past while keeping those beside him safe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: I don't know where this is going to go. Bare with me.

Chapter One :

A blonde woman exited her apartment building, watching the morning sun rise into the sky. The cacophony of sirens, horns, and people talking along the street filled the air as the city awoke. And everyday, he would be right there. Right at the corner of her apartment building, sitting around the corner of the alley way, sipping from a straw sticking out of a paper sack. She didn't condone drinking, in fact she despised it after it caused her father to become an alcoholic, and causing her parents to get divorced. Her mother had won custody of both children, Astrid and her little brother, Aiden.

She was in the prime time of her life, in college and employed at a small restaurant called 'The Forge.' The man who owned it was jovial and polite, with a thick scottish accent and a long mustache done in braids down his chin, reaching his chest. Astrid's day was a set routine, go to college, learn in class, go to work, and then go back to her apartment.

Astrid had never spoken to the man in the alley, but they adopted a nod as greeting whenever she went to or came home from work. He was often dressed in a green hoodie, with a brown blanket wrapped around him as a makeshift cloak, and wore old dirty and tattered blue jeans. His mess of greasy auburn hair grew to his shoulder and his green eyes never lost their brightness, despite his situation. A coal black and shaggy furred dog sat on his left leg. They shared a second blanket, draping down from his left shoulder over the dog's back, effectively covering the dog's entire body save for the head.

Every other morning she would bring out a sandwich or leftovers from last night's dinner and leave it on the ground next to him in the morning before he awoke. The dog would open it's green eyes and stare at her as she did so, but not once made a move against her, just shift closer to the man. He also had this notebook, which was always pressed up against him, like he was hugging a teddy-bear. Whenever she got too close or within arm's reach of the journal, the dog would growl and she would back off.

This morning would be the same, except he spoke to her as she placed the tupperware down a few feet away from him. His voice was hoarse, thick with pain and grief. "Th-thank you, Miss." The dog nodded as well, understanding of the man's words.

"Astrid." She replied, not really thinking about it. Her voice was melodious.

"Huh?" He tilted his head, matching the dog's motions but with a tear stained face and red-rimmed green eyes.

She finally got a good look at him. Maybe if he'd shave and get a haircut, he'd be rather handsome. "My name, Astrid." She recognized him from somewhere, but from where?

"T-thank you, Astrid." He responded, she swore she heard him murmur 'divine beauty' under his breath.

She stood up straight, and checked her phone. "What's your name?"

He mumbled something. "What was that?" She asked.

"Hiccup." He stated, a little louder, then gestured to the black furred dog beside him. "And this is Toothless."

She failed to stifle a giggle. "Hiccup, Toothless? What kind of names are those?" She asked lightheartedly.

He took a sip from the papersack. "Not my real name, of course. I-I was born with the hiccups, and Toothless got his teeth knocked out." Hiccup said, a weary smile formed on his lips. She narrowed her brows, clearly seeing teeth inside of Toothless' mouth. Whatever, maybe he's insane.

Astrid checked her phone again. "Sorry, Hiccup, but I've gotta get to work, nice meeting you."

He smiled at her, and waved his hand. "It's no problem, I don't want to be a burden. Nice meeting you as well."

After her classes and work, she made her way to her apartment, passing the familiar sight of Hiccup and his dog in the street lamp's light. This time however, it looked as if he was teaching the black dog how to play blackjack. The dog was smart enough to raised his paw just high enough to see his face down card, and not tip it over. Toothless padded the ground with his right paw, signalling for Hiccup to 'hit' him, and Hiccup slid another card face up to Toothless. The coal furred dog huffed and groaned. "Struck out again, huh Bud?" Toothless nodded. Hiccup flipped all the cards over, revealing a 7,3, and an ace for Toothless, and an eight and a king for Hiccup. "Wait a second, Bud, you won!" He began to laugh as the dog tilted his head and then gave a barking laugh.

Astrid smiled at them, even in poverty they were happy with each other. "Man's best friend, huh?" She spoke aloud, alerting them of her presence.

"Well… Yeah, when he isn't hiding my pencil." Hiccup said, rubbing Toothless behind the ears.

She laughed. "Where does he hide your pencil?" He shrugged, causing her to laugh more.

They watched Toothless trot away, and she then noticed that the dog was missing it's left hind leg. "Where you goin', Bud?" Toothless hopped onto a knocked over trash can, then climbed up on top of a dumpster, and then went to a window sill. He trotted back, holding a mechanical pencil between his teeth. "So that's where you've been hiding it? You know I can't get up there even if I tried." The dog grinned.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked. Hiccup froze, not meaning for that to slip out. Oh man, if Astrid knew about it, then she would stop bringing food, and treat him like a monster, oh crap oh crap oh crap. That means Toothless wouldn't have food. That means his only friend would starve. "Hiccup?"

He turned back to her slowly, unconsciously scooting away. "Y-y-you d-don't want t-to know." He whispered.

"Hiccup, I want to know." She said, moving closer to him slowly.

She watched as he fished out something from his pockets, and tossed it to her. Landing in front of her, she saw it was a pair of dog tags attached by a string. "I-I l-lost m-my leg… in A-afghanistan." He whispered. She read 'Haddock, Hayden H. - Night Fury Squad - AB Type - Catholic -.'

"Oh." Was all she could say.

His voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "I-if you want to leave me alone… go ahead… People always treat me like a monster when they find out I lost my leg." He broke down, pulling his knees to his chest.

She approached him and crouched down in front of him. "You're not a monster." Astrid stated firmly, pulling his chin up to look her in the eyes. His normally bright eyes were dulled. "What's in the past, is in the past. You can't let it hold you down."

"I-I don't want it to be my past anymore…" He whispered sullenly. "G-goodnight, Astrid." He broke away from her, crawling a few feet away up against the wall and pulling the blanket over himself.

Astrid had to force herself to go upstairs, back to her apartment, and finally succumbed to sleep after a few hours of lying awake on her bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: For those that don't really do religious stuff, the only thing you actually need to know about is 'Mass.' Mass is the basic Christian church service, where the priest, or deacon (either one) reads a daily scripture that coincides with the calendar, and then lectures for the lesson to be learned.

Also, warning for cursing.

Chapter Two : Who is he?

"Wake up, Haddock! We're almost to the LZ!" Someone shouted. Hiccup snapped up, locating the voice to be his long-time battle-buddy, Thuggory. The whirring of the helicopter blades drowned out most noise, forcing the occupants to use miniature headsets and hand signals. The helicopter, a UH-1Y Venom hovered above the outskirts of a city. Night Fury squad had already been briefed on their mission, a routine search and destroy objective. They had brought sniffer dogs to seek out explosives, and Hiccup was the handler for a coal-black furred dog, dubbed Toothless because… no one really knows.

They rappelled down in fours, two from each side door, and set up a defensive perimeter for their comrades who were still rappelling. Hiccup flicked open the ACOG on his M4, setting his sights to watch for enemies. Their squad leader, Eret, called over the radio. "Alright, lads, we're moving out, I want staggered formation on the streets." The other seven members of the Night Fury squad reformed to have four on each side of the street. "Get the sniffers up front!" Hiccup moved forward with Toothless, and Thuggory moved forward with a tan furred lab, dubbed 'Killer.'

They were proceeding through a marketplace when their field medic, Dogsbreath, shouted. "RPG!" The whistling of the rocket met Hiccup's ears, and he dove into an alley with Toothless, and watched as it impacted two of his squadmates who didn't react fast enough.

Hiccup woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air and panting to catch his breath. Toothless whimpered, trying to comfort his auburn haired companion. "I-I-I'm sorry, Bud, it's just a nightmare. Just a nightmare." He repeated to himself. He looked up, seeing the familiar brick wall and the night sky. He huffed, and looked down to a cheap watch on his left wrist. "Might as well move now, Bud, the day is starting." Hiccup looked down again, seeing his shortened leg, and then at the makeshift prosthetic beside him. He crafted it using pvc pipe, a spring, a few belts, and a lot of duct tape.

He slipped a few more extra socks on his stump, to keep the cold away, and slipped the leather of the belts into their buckles and clasped his leg on. Using a windowsill as a crutch, he lifted himself up, and took a few experimental steps to make sure it was working correctly. Toothless brought over a white wooden staff and plopped it at his feet, there were small holes at each end, and when swung, the staff would hum or rattle. Hiccup dug through his pockets and retrieved his trusty pocket knife, and made another scratch on the staff. He gazed at the staff, a total of one thousand ninety five. "Three years Bud…" He murmured.

Hiccup slipped his personal backpack on, and clutched the staff to his side, using it as a walking stick. Together, they made their way to Raven's Point bridge, just on the north side of town. The subway systems were abandoned, due to performance costs, and other safety issues, so it acted as a homeless shelter for those on the streets. Due to Hiccup's ingenuity for making usable tools out of garbage, homeless people would seek him out and trade supplies for his services, such as repairing backpacks, or patching clothes.

One of his closest acquaintances, Old Wrinkly, had read enough of the Bible to serve as a priest for Mass in the subway tunnels, using candles for light and notebook paper filled with scripture. He and Hiccup had served during different wars, but the damage was the same, and the 'council' agreed to host group therapy sessions in the tunnels.

As they neared the subway entrance, Hiccup took another look at his watch, reading seven AM. He held himself on his right foot, and opened the rusted gate to descend into the tunnels. Today was Sunday, which meant trade day, morning Mass, and a mid morning group therapy session. "Good morning, Hiccup." Hiccup turned around, and saw Old Wrinkly sitting near a large candle, keeping his fingers warm.

"Not sure about good, but good morning to you too." Hiccup replied, giving him a nod and a small smile.

"Nightmares again?" Wrinkly asked, knowing all too well what the young man was going through.

Hiccup nodded solemnly, and looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I-I remember everything so… so clearly. And I just don't want to remember anymore."

"Your experiences as a person are who you are, Hiccup. I was in your shoes… well shoe, at one point in life."

Hiccup let out a small chuckle. "Har-har, very funny." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"We better get the tunnel ready for the others if we want Mass today." Wrinkly said, moving over to a pile of old and dirty blankets, and began spreading them out across the tunnel. Hiccup moved candles to designated points on the floor, and lit a match to light them. Over the course of the next thirty minutes, men and women of all sorts arrived, and Wrinkly began Mass.

One of Hiccup's most valued possessions was a pocket Bible that his mother, Valerie, had owned. He read along as Wrinkly read the daily scripture, and listened to the lecture he gave.

After Mass ended, a few of them stuck around for the group therapy, and Wrinkly got Hiccup to go first. He rose, stumbling slightly, and Toothless rose at his side. "H-hi everyone, my name's Hiccup. Great name, I know."

The others murmured in unison. "Hi Hiccup."

"Uh… t-today is uh, today is my third year anniversary of coming home, and my second year of not having one." He said, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "Uhm, I've been having nightmares… and I guess it'd be best just to explain what I see." He looked over to Old Wrinkly, who nodded in agreement. "It was a routine mission, patrol the streets, and search and destroy." He began, "I remember walking through a marketplace, where we were ambushed." He croaked. "They fired a rocket at us, and I remember diving into an alley with Toothless, and hearing screaming behind me. I always wake up at that point. But, my memories are also nightmares. I was captured, taken hostage by the terrorists and tortured for s-so long…I only remember pain, starvation, and darkness." He whispered. "T-they took my leg." He gestured down to his prosthetic. "They took my leg so I couldn't escape." A few of them gasped. "When I was rescued by the Zippleback squad, they managed to secure a medevac for me, and I finally got to come home… I never did get to thank them though, I woke up aboard a hospital ship in ICU." Hiccup sighed, his eyes welling up with tears. "I-I'm done, thanks for listening. I need some time alone... I'll be at my workstation."

000

On the other side of town, Astrid was just beginning her day. She showered and got dressed in a red shirt, leather jacket, and blue jeans. She braided her hair on the way out of the door. Once outside she noticed that Hiccup wasn't in his usual spot. She checked her phone, reading the time to be 9:30 AM.

Arriving at a usual meet up spot, she found her friends and co-workers Heather Oswaldson and Rachel 'Ruffnut' Thorston. "Good morning Astrid." Heather greeted her. The two of them were sitting at a booth, drinking coffee.

"You seem off, what's up?" Rachel noticed the bags under her eyes.

"Do you two know the homeless guy in the alley by my apartment?" Astrid asked, sliding into the booth next to Heather.

Ruffnut gasped. "Did he attack you?!"

"No. No, he didn't do anything. He finally talked to me." Astrid explained.

"Well, what'd he say?" Heather asked after rolling her eyes at Ruff's comment.

"He told me his name. Hayden Haddock." Astrid said. "He threw a pair of dog tags in front of me, and they said 'Night Fury squad.' Your brother served, right Ruff?"

"Yeah. He doesn't like talking about it though." Ruff said, taking a sip from a cup.

"Can you ask him about Night Fury squad?" Astrid asked.

Heather interjected. "I remember seeing them on the news. Something about an ambush. You might find something online."

"You might as well ask him yourself, he should be here soon." Ruff said, showing her a text from her twin.

Astrid nodded. The three of them carried on conversation until their other friends arrived. A short burly man flanked by a chubby blond man and a lithe man who had blond dreads walked into the coffee shop, these men were Seth 'Snotlout' Jorgenson, Frank 'Fishlegs' Ingerman, and Thomas 'Tuffnut' Thorston, male twin to Ruffnut.

Fishlegs and Tuffnut sat next to Ruffnut, and Seth sat next to Astrid. "Mornin' Babe." Seth said, wiggling his brows.

"I'm not your babe, Snot." Astrid punched his shoulder. She directed her gaze to Tuffnut. "Tuff, do you know of a 'Night Fury squad?'"

Tuffnut nearly dropped his coffee. His face hardened, and she could hear a distant coldness in his usually carefree voice. "Why do you want to know."

Astrid was slightly taken aback. "The homeless man next to my building told me his name and showed me his dogtags."

"What was his name?" Tuffnut asked, her statement peaked his interest.

"Bah, who cares, he's just homeless." Snotlout waved them off, going back to a small discussion over football with Fishlegs.

"Hayden Haddock." Astrid answered. Tuffnut froze visibly.

He sighed. "Night Fury squad was one of the best, like special ops shit. They succeeded and completed all missions and objectives with the highest efficiency in all of the Archipelago. One day, they didn't radio in for check up, and we figured they had forgotten, you know? Everyone makes mistakes. But… these guys didn't."

"What happened?" Heather asked.

Tuff closed his eyes. "I don't want to ruin this morning with a sad story, but you asked me to. They were ambushed in a marketplace, and Hayden was separated from them. It took us nearly two weeks to find him… and when we did… I don't even want to think of what they did to him." Upon hearing this statement, Fishlegs and Snotlout listened to him talk.

"He got captured?" Ruff assumed, earning a nod from Tuffnut.

"Haddock was one of the strongest men in the military, not by strength, but by willpower." He said. "He was probably the smartest man in boot camp. Extremely stubborn, extremely dedicated, and if he said he would do something, he would do it. Like this guy could've been in Taken."

"Like the 'I will find you, and I will kill you' type of person?" Fishlegs asked.

Tuff nodded. "He sent an email to an Afghani warlord saying that, and the next day they raided the bastard's compound… he killed everyone inside by the time the entry team got the gate open."

"How?" Snotlout asked.

"His battle buddy, Thuggory, helped him jump over the wall, and he put a bullet in all their skulls." Tuff said, earning shocked looks from his friends.

Fishlegs let out a low whistle.

'Who is this guy?' Astrid thought to herself. "Sorry guys, I've got the morning shift at The Forge." Snotlout stood up to let her out, and Tuffnut stood up as well.

"Astrid, be careful with what you talk about, that man has been through more shit that most people in their lifetime." He warned her.

"Thanks, Tuff." She nodded, and waved goodbye on the way out.

"You think she will listen?" Heather asked.

"I'd listen… that man has been through too much."

AN: I think I passed my US history test, which is good. Expect ITW chapter this weekend and another chapter for this.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: Okay, some celebrations are in order, 1: we have reached over 200 followers for Freedom Of The Sky ( yay!) and 2: A positive start to Homeless Haddock, which I contemplated naming 'Fish out of Water' since he's a Haddock… and haddock is a fish… and water is a fish's home. You know what? I'll do a re-write of this someday, with more emotions and more details and whatnot.

Should I have Hiccup and Astrid be the same age…? or have him slightly older by a few years, to fit his background better. Because (this is my thought process) if he joined the army at eighteen, and served for 3 years, then discharged, so he's 21, then some stuff happens that I haven't told you yet, so he's 22, and then two years later, he's on the streets with Toothless at 24. Astrid is still in college, so maybe between 22-23?

Oh! One more thing, I forgot some details in chap 2, so I had to reupload the chapter.

Warning : Cursing.

Chapter Three : Welcome To Helheim

When Astrid returned home that evening, after the morning shift and afternoon classes, she logged onto her laptop and began her research of the man in the alley. There was a long list of videos, from an account called 'Dragon's Edge.'

She clicked on the first one, labeled 'Welcome to Helheim' and uploaded six years ago, the video loaded.

 _"So, we're in Af-fucking-ghanistan," The cameraman's voice said, panning over the base. "Welcome to Dragon's Edge. Number one place in Helheim for summer vacations at a very fine 109 F (42 Celsius) during the day and 20 F ( -6 Celsius) at night."_ He announced the weather like the weatherman on the news. _"Haddock, where are you!?"_

She saw him perk up from behind boxes of artillery shells. _"Over here, Thug! What's up?"_ The difference between the man in the video and the man beside her building was astounding. In the video, she saw a lithe, tall man with a reasonable length of auburn hair and the brightest green eyes she'd ever seen. The man in the alley was… distant, warmhearted but guarded, with dull green eyes.

 _"Check it, just got this GoPro from a care package." Thuggory said. A few more men approached, wearing only their ACU fatigues. "Afternoon Sarge."_

 _One of them man spoke with a british accent. "G'day." He greeted them, "what's that?" He asked, gesturing to the camera._

 _"Little gift from home." Thuggory explained. He introduced each of them. "Alright, so that's Eret, Speedifist, Dogsbreath, Gunnar, and that's Hiccup over there." He named them all off one by one, pointing at each of them. "And I'm Thug." He finished, pointing the lense at himself._

 _Another soldier brought a package over to the group. "Delivery for Haddock?" He asked, and Hiccup made his way to him. "Here you go." The soldier handed Hiccup a long rectangular package._

 _Thuggory brought the camera over to him, looking over Hiccup's back as he's opening the package. Hiccup opened the cardboard box, revealing a white wooden staff with curved metal tips with holes a few inches apart. He dropped the staff and took a few steps back. He gasped, and his hands were shaking as he hovered over it._

 _"What is it, Haddock?" Thug asked, perplexed as much as the others were._

 _He crouched down, and picked up a small cardboard box that tumbled out. His eyes flicked from one side to the other. "This… is...was my mom's stuff. I-uh, I need some time alone... please." He scooped up the staff and put it back in the rectangular box, and picked up both boxes. The screen shifted to show him walking off to the barracks._

 _The camera view shifted over to a group of soldiers playing cards, and Thuggory's voice cut through the video. "Let's see if we can find Hiccup." He whispered next to the camera. The camera view bounced a little as he walked through the rows of barracks and crates. Thuggory perked up when he heard a whooshing and humming sound. "Did we get lightsabers?"_ _He asked the camera._ Astrid cracked a smile and giggled. To her, Thuggory was acting like a little kid, like her own little brother.

 _Thuggory followed the source of the noise, and discovered it to be Hiccup's staff as he whirled it around him and proceeded to do offensive and defensive techniques. "Yo, Haddock! I didn't know you could do that." Thuggory said, catching his attention._

 _Hiccup froze, and exhaled slowly, loosening his muscles. "I-uh, I wasn't doing much."_

 _"Hell yeah you were! That was sick!" Thuggory exclaimed ecstatically. "C'mon, show the camera again."_

 _Hiccup chuckled, and let a small smile form on his lips as he gripped the staff three quarters of the way down and began to spin it from one side to the other. The humming sound returned, and a loud cracking noise filled the air as he slammed the staff onto a concrete block. A large puff of dust surrounded him._

Astrid watched in disbelief. He just received that from his mother, and he broke it? Apparently Thuggory had the same thoughts.

 _"Dude, did you just break the staff?"_

 _"I know what I'm doing." Hiccup said. Thuggory waved his hand in front of the camera, fanning the dust away and saw the auburn haired man standing there, with an undamaged staff and a pile of crumbled concrete._

 _"C'mon Lads, we're moving out!" Eret shouted._

 _"Alright, the Sarge is calling, we better go see what's going on… after you do that again." Thuggory tried to persuade Hiccup._

 _"Nah, Thug. We need to get our gear on, maybe you can put that on the charger." Hiccup said with a small grin._

 _Thuggory groaned. "Week six of playing in the sandbox, whoopee."_

The video ended, and Astrid's mind swirled with thoughts. Tuff said that Hiccup and Thuggory were battle-buddies, and she could see the bond between them clearly. She wondered if he still had that staff, and whatever else was in the smaller package. A thought entered her mind. Social media? ? An email and a password, and she'd be able to research him using his own accounts. Maybe get Fishlegs to just crack the passcode, not even have to get an email from him. Of course! The account would need an email to be connected to it.

It was her luck there were two, Thuggory's email, and Hayden's email.

She went to , and put his name and email in. She guessed the password, 'Toothless' and the system accepted it. Astrid chuckled at that.

Her phone began to ring, and she looked at the screen, seeing Heather's face. She answered it, "Hey, Heather, what's up?" She asked.

"Just wondering if you were going to do something stupid." Heather replied.

Astrid put the phone on speaker, setting it down on her desk. She typed in 'Hayden Haddock' to the search bar. "Something, but not something stupid."

"Something crazy then?" Heather asked. "Still thinking about the Hayden guy?"

"I don't know why, I feel like I know him from somewhere, that's why I want to know more."

"Have you checked your yearbooks?" Heather asked. "He could've gone to your high school, there aren't that many in Berk." She suggested.

"Thanks for the idea, but all my high school stuff is with my Mom. Besides, I'm already on his ancestry page."

"Oh, there's the something stupid I was thinking of. You know you shouldn't be logging in as other people." She muttered dryly.

Astrid grinned. "Meh." She read the next few lines aloud of Hiccup's bio. "Graduated highschool with full scholarship to San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, but enlisted instead at the age of eighteen. In BCT, he was assigned to Night Fury squad. The members of Night Fury squad excelled in every physical, mental, and psychological test."

Heather's voice cut in. "Hey, I'll call you on skype, I'm still on minutes, remember?"

"Yeah, okay. See you in a sec." Astrid replied absentmindedly. Skype's rather annoying ringtone played from her laptop. Pressing the green phone button, she and Heather were connected via video chat. "Hi!" Astrid greeted her.

"Hi. So, anything interesting?" Heather asked.

Astrid looked at the call screen, meeting the other woman's eyes. "Well, he had a full scholarship to go to SFIT, but enlisted instead, I understand patriotism, but I'd have gone to the nerd school. And watch this." She copied the link to Thuggory's video account, and sent it to Heather through the instant messaging system.

000

 _Gunshot._

 _Cracking of a whip._

 _A machete swing._

 _Screaming. Pain. Darkness._

 _Deprived. Tortured._

 _Finally… light._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: Turns out, I'm completely lost on ITW chapter 15 (which is the final chapter) so I've been writing this. I realize I'm making Tuff a bit OOC in this chapter, but since he's lived military life, I took the liberty of having him mature a bit. Don't worry, when the twins are together they'll be as carefree as normal.

Oh, and Hiccup and Snotlout are not related in this fic, it'd be too fast and I would finish it way earlier than what I have planned.

Annnnd I just hit a bump. This will probably be the last chapter until I get more time, consider this a half-hiatus?

Warning : Alcohol

Chapter Four : Time

It was a chilly Tuesday evening and Hiccup was back in the subway tunnel with Toothless and Old Wrinkly, passing the time with whatever came to mind. Toothless was napping on a spread out blanket, while Hiccup and Wrinkly were sitting on stools made from scrapwood and duct tape. Old Wrinkly watched Hiccup as he fiddled with his prosthetic. "So, how'd you figure out to make that?" The older man asked, curious of his acquaintance's leg.

The younger man looked up, his shaggy auburn hair drooped over his face. "I measured my other leg, and the rest was guesswork. It's weird to think of it, but when I was first fitted for a prosthetic, none of them worked for me, but this one does."

"It might be because you made it, you know? I had some friends back in 'Nam that refused to shoot army-issued bullets, and decided to make their own on base."

"Why'd they do that?" Hiccup asked, tilting his head slightly before reaching into his backpack and retrieving a small wrench. He tightened a bolt on the prosthetic, and tested the spring.

"They said the army bullets didn't feel right." Wrinkly answered, leaning back in his stool. He reached down into his backpack, shuffling some stuff around, and pulled out a granola bar.

Hiccup's stomach growled, and Wrinkly offered him the granola bar. "No thanks, Astrid gave me a pbj this morning." He reached into his bag again, and withdrew a ziplock bag with the sandwich in it.

Wrinkly grinned. "Seems to me that she's helping you a lot. I don't think she's heard your smartass side yet."

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders and talked with his arms. "If I did, she would be able to resist _all this._ " He puffed his chest and struck a body builder pose

Toothless trotted over to them, and nudged Hiccup's stump. "What is it, Bud, you want some too?" The black dog nodded, and Hiccup wiped a finger alongside the sandwich, collecting extra peanut butter and then let Toothless slobber his hand. Turning his gaze back to Wrinkly, he asked, "how's the harbor?"

Wrinkly drummed his fingers on his right knee. "I reckon we have two weeks until the freeze."

"Two weeks? Isn't that a little early, it's only October." He questioned.

Wrinkly nodded. "Yes, but the papers are talking about early blizzards." He passed Hiccup a rolled up newspaper.

Hiccup hummed as he read the forecast. "It says here that Devastating Winter is starting a month early, in December due to an anomaly in the meteorological world."

Wrinkly replied tiredly. "An anemone?"

Hiccup looked up from the newspaper, seeing Wrinkly dozing off, wrapped up in blankets. "Uh… no... and goodnight then." He mumbled dryly. Using a lighter, he lit another candle and placed it near the entrance of the tunnel, before moving Wrinkly towards the entrance. Hiccup scribbled down a note on a post-it and stuck it to the older man's baseball cap. He trusted Old Wrinkly to wake up sometime soon, being old had effects of course, such as taking naps at every three hours. His prosthetic and staff clicked on the steps as he walked up the stairs of the subway.

After he opened the iron gate and stepped outside, something - no, someone barreled into him, sending him a few feet away and sprawling out on the concrete sidewalk, with the staff clattering to a stop to Hiccup's left.

They both groaned, and the other person quickly got to their feet. "Sorry dude, my bad." Hiccup looked up to see a hand outstretched to him, and pulled himself up. The man gave him a look over, eyeing each piece of his tattered and worn clothes before looking him straight in the face. Hiccup's eyes and hair jogged the man's memory, but the scraggly beard threw him off. Then they heard a yawn and turned to see Toothless sitting behind Hiccup. "Greetings my furry friend." He returned his gaze to Hiccup, looking him in the eyes. "Do I know you?" The man, a lean blonde with bluish gray eyes wearing a brown jacket over a green shirt and jeans, asked.

As he recognized the face and the eyes, a flash of memories went through Hiccup's mind, most of them of a dark prison cell, and then a group of soldiers loading him into a helicopter. He asked tentatively, "Thorston..?"

"Thomas 'Tuffnut' Thorston, but how did you know my name?" Tuffnut replied, confused how the raggedy man in front of him knew his name. Hiccup was already deployed for two years when they met at Dragon's Edge airbase, and Hiccup helped Tuffnut fit in on base, while he was homesick.

"Y-you were there… I remember you. You kept me alive, Thomas." Hiccup breathed out, gesturing with his hands, arms and shoulders. His prosthetic clicked on the concrete as Hiccup bent down to retrieve the staff. "Hayden Haddock." He gestured to himself.

Saying Tuffnut was shocked would be an understatement. "Haddock?" He breathed out. When Hiccup nodded, he let out a laugh. "Oh man! When Astrid told me about meeting you, I almost didn't believe her… How have you been?" He asked, starting off with a basic conversation starter.

Hiccup glanced around, before answering. "I mean, I've been better, at least this isn't the sandbox."

"True, true."

Another silence. "So, you said something about Astrid talking about me?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh, that was just me talking about you, she was asking about you." Tuffnut replied.

Hiccup furrowed his brows. "And what did you say?"

The 'guard' edge in his tone warned Tuffnut that this Haddock was still untrusting. Intuitive thinking, and lots of Sherlock Holmes helps you point out miniscule things. He decided the truth would be the best way to go. "I told her about you, or at least of what I knew about you and Night Fury squad."

"And what happened to me?" He asked with a dark tone.

Tuff shook his head. "No, I figured if you would tell anyone, it should come straight from you."

Hiccup smiled graciously. "Thanks, Tuff. For getting me out of there." Deciding to change the subject, he asked. "How're your friends?"

"Everyone's doing good. Say... how about we grab a drink and do some catching up." Tuffnut suggested.

Hiccup averted his eyes from him. "I-uh… I don't have any cash. And I don't really drink, to be honest."

"Really? Cuz Astrid was pretty sure you have this paper bag with a straw and how much she doesn't like it." He rambled out.

Hiccup looked at him oddly, trying to think of what he was talking about. Oh. "come closer." He whispered. Tuff leaned towards him. "It's just apple cider." He confided, smirking as he watched Tuffnut' face of curiosity turn to one of bewilderment.

"Cider? Why keep it in the bag then?"

"I-I actually don't know. Just a habit I picked up." Hiccup assumed, not giving clear thought to it. "Uh, lead the way, if you want. I'm sure you know the best place."

As they approached the bar, Hiccup noticed the sign. "Mala's Tavern, the best tavern in town!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"They allow service dogs, right?" Hiccup asked, rubbing Toothless' head as he glanced downwards to his companion. They entered the tavern, and Hiccup was surprised. Outside, the building looked completely modern and high-tech, but inside it was medieval and it definitely had a 'Lord of The Rings' feel to it.

A tall women with short blond hair and green eyes greeted them at the door. "Hello Tuffnut." She greeted him, then turned to Hiccup and Toothless. "And you are?"

"Hayden Haddock, and this is Toothless." He answered, sticking his hand out in greeting. She gave him a look over, seeing his tattered clothing and greasy hair and beard, then saw the prosthetic. He noticed her gaze and shifted unconsciously the pressure to his right foot. "If you're wondering, it's homemade."

She turned back to Tuffnut, who gave a nod. "Hayden Haddock you're an interesting man." Mala led them to a booth in a corner of the restaurant, so they have their own space. "What will you be having tonight?" She asked both of them.

Tuff answered first, "coke and whiskey. Oh, can we get an order of fries, too?" The restaurant owner nodded, then turned to Hiccup.

"Coke and whiskey." He said, copying Tuff's order. Mala left, leaving the two of them for a few minutes.

Tuffnut looked around before he asked. "How are you doing?" His voice was curious, not demeaning or pitying towards him.

Hiccup leaned back into the booth, welcoming the leather to his covered back. "I've been better, I got lots of free time now." He said lightheartedly, drawing out a chuckle from Tuff. Mala arrived with their drinks and fries, and left again.

Tuffnut ate a fry, then asked, "what uhh have you been up to?"

"Most days I go to the public library and read, other days I go to the abandoned subways." Hiccup answered. "And you?"

Tuffnut frowned. "I can't get a job… no one wants a kid without a major."

"Oh." Was all the auburn haired man could say. "What would you major in?"

"Pyrotechnics." Tuff answered, "maybe chemistry. I like to blow stuff up." He stated simply.

Hiccup blinked, and a few flashes of explosions crossed his vision. "T-that's cool."

They passed the next half hour in conversation regarding what's changed and what hasn't, how things are, and how they hoped things to be. Mala refilled their drinks a few times, and Hiccup was feeling rather tipsy. The same couldn't be said for Tuff, however.

"Hiccup, lemme ask you a question." Tuff said, slightly serious.

Hiccup took a swig from his glass. "Yeah?"

"Why did you join?"

 _Join?_ He hadn't thought of the reason in a long time. A memory came to mind.

 _A coffin, with an American flag draped over it. Family friends, all whom which Hiccup didn't know… didn't want to know. Family members were asked to stand… and Hiccup stood alone._

" _Pre-sent Arms!" the commanding officer ordered. The silent clunking of rifles meeting shoulders had no effect on the eighteen year old boy. And to think, just a week ago they were heading to his high school graduation. It was always them together, for the past ten years. His mother passed away because of cancer when he was eight. And now, he was alone._

 _A stroke, the doctors had said, but Hiccup didn't care how… he wanted to know why. Why? Why now? Why rip away the only family he had left._

 _The soldiers fired a volley. And another soldier began playing Taps on a bugle. Another volley of shots rang out._

 _The bugle stopped, and he sat down, with tears rolling down his cheeks. The casket team leader began folding the flag, first in half, then half again, then in triangles. The casket team leader passed it off to the commanding officer, and then left the gravesite. The commanding officer offered words of condolences as he gave Hiccup the folded flag, but he didn't listen._

 _For the next eight hours he sat there, in front of his father's gravestone. He finally spoke, more to himself than the marble in front of him. "I-I'm sorry, Dad… I wasn't the son you wanted me to be… but somehow you were okay with that. I'll never be as great as you… but I guess I have to try."_

"-iccup?" Tuff asked.

"Huh-what?" Hiccup snapped into reality.

"You good? You zoned out." He explained.

Hiccup sighed. "I joined… because I had nothing. I… wanted to be more. I-I'm sorry, Tuff, it's been great catching up with you." He stood up to stand, and Toothless rose to attention.

Tuff stood up to catch his arm, but he was already gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

Alright, updates for everything are going to slow down, mainly because I have to raise my grades in two classes (hah, it's only the fourth week of school and I'm behind.) Hey, in my defence, calculus is a pain. Taking school seriously isn't really my thing.

Chapter Five : Slightly Forced Arrangements

It was cold, no, that's an understatement. It was absolutely frigid for a November evening in Berk. As predicted, the harbor had frozen over completely. Not wanting to leave his best friend in the cold, Hiccup rejected the invitation to a homeless shelter, since they didn't allow any animals. Old Wrinkly stayed at the shelter in his place, and Hiccup was okay with that.

What he wasn't okay with, was the constant sleet making it hard to walk, along with his stump acting up because of the cold. He had traded for extra socks and blankets to wrap his leg with, but the stinging sensation on over-reactive nerves nearly blinded him with pain. He tried lighting a fire, just something to keep him warm, but that didn't work either.

Hiccup checked his watch, reading 8:13 pm. The weather would only get colder. Maybe go to the subway? Can't. The lock on the gate is probably frozen over, the sidewalks are also covered in frost. "Shit." He murmured to himself, rubbing his stump at an attempt to keep it warm. Toothless was laying across his lap, attempting to keep his human warm.

"Hiccup?" It was too dark to see who it was, but they recognized the voice to be Astrid.

"Yes?" His voice croaked. He heard snow crunch under her shoes as she approached him. He saw her blue eyes go wide in the moonlight as she kneeled in front of him. Without warning, she punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?!" He exclaimed.

"For being outside." She scolded him. "Why are you out here?"

A small cloud formed as he sighed through his nose. "None of the shelters would allow Toothless, and I wasn't going to leave him alone in the cold."

"Can you walk?" She asked quickly, thinking of a solution to get them out of the cold.

"A little, why?" Hiccup answered, rubbing his hands through Toothless' fur.

"Come with me." She said, wrapping her coat around her tighter.

"What? No. No, no I can't, won't, make you share your apartment for us." Hiccup tried to dissuade her.

"Yes you will, I have a fold out couch. I won't mind, unless you try anything." Astrid stated, rising to her feet again and extending a hand.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Hiccup asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I won't leave you in the snow." Astrid began to scratch Toothless between the ears. "Besides, I have way too many leftovers to eat alone." She joked.

On cue, their stomachs growled. Hiccup groaned, gripping his staff. "Alright-fine. You win." He conceded, rising to his feet-foot. The nerves in his stump flared up, and he gritted his teeth harshly in pain as he stumbled. Astrid barely caught him, to be fair, he was much heavier than he looked.

"C'mon, you've got this." She said, pulling his left arm over her shoulders to support him.

"Thank you, Astrid." He said, still gritting his teeth and his voice was hoarse.

Astrid held him tighter. "No problem, Hiccup." Toothless trotted past them, dragging a blanket with him.

"I don't think we'll need that, Bud. Grab my bag, will you?" Hiccup asked. Astrid was about to let him go, but saw Toothless bite into the top of the backpack, holding the top strap firmly between his teeth.

Hiccup limped against Astrid, using his staff as a walking stick and her as a human crutch. Every step was painful, and he grit his teeth all the way to the door, grunting and groaning with each step. Slowly but surely, they reached the door to the building. Astrid lifted his arm from her shoulder to open the door, and after opening the door Toothless trotted in before them. She was thankful for having the elevator, because there would be no way to move him up three flights of stairs.

They welcomed the warmth, relieved to be out of the minor blizzard. She pushed the button for the elevator. "I do expect you to shower, you're not going to sleep on my couch when you're like this." She gestured to him vaguely. "And do you know if Toothless has fleas?"

"No arguments here. Toothless has a flea collar, so you should be okay." Hiccup said wryly, giving her a small smile. "I just hope I don't smell like," he sniffed the air a few times, "vanilla beans and hmm, what's the other one?"

"Peaches." Astrid answered, playfully scowling at him. "I have some manly lavender if you don't like vanilla." She continued.

Hiccup held a hand up, "no no, that's okay. I'm perfectly fine with vanilla. Though I do prefer the smell of pine or cedar."

The elevator chimed, and the metal doors opened "Why's that?" She asked as the three of them stepped inside.

"I took up crafting as a hobby when I was younger, had a complete workshop in the garage." He gripped the handrail tightly with his left hand.

She noticed his knuckles whitening. "Don't worry, my apartment is close to the elevator, and there's a rail to help you."

Hiccup closed his eyes, leaning against the wall to remove pressure from his left leg. "Why are you doing this for me?"

Astrid turned her gaze to him, "Because you're nice enough, and I know you won't try anything." She said. The doors opened and they shuffled to her door. She quickly unlocked it and they stepped inside, then locked it again before placing her keys on a hook.

The inside of her apartment was neat and tidy, with nothing out of place except for her backpack and her classwork, which was scattered across the kitchen table. After stepping inside, he took his shoe off, and left it by the door to not get her carpet dirty. Astrid kicked her shoes off and walked off to another room. He leaned his staff against a corner, letting it stand on its own, and Toothless set the backpack down next to it. He dug down into his bag, and withdrew a spare change of clothes, his host did say that he'd have to take a shower.

"Thanks, Bud." Hiccup said, scratching him behind the ears. He heard water running, and moved towards the noise, holding onto the marble counter to relieve the pressure on his leg. The sound led him to a closed doorway, and when he was close enough the door opened to reveal Astrid.

Her blue eyes flicked upwards as she brushed past him. "Water's warm. There's a towel in there when you're done."

His features softened, and his grin grew wider. "Thank you so much, Astrid."

She smiled at him over her shoulder as she walked to the kitchen.

Hiccup let himself into the bathroom. The floor and walls were tiled with small white squares, and the sink was housed in a wooden brown cabinet. The toilet was adjacent to the sink, and the shower was a walk-in shower with a small step going down into it. A mirror hung above the sink, where he saw himself with shaggy hair and a scraggly lumberjack beard. That's why he'd shaved in high school. He unfastened the prosthetic and leaned it against the glass wall of the shower, then reached into the shower; the water was warm, not too hot and not too cold. Just right. Hiccup withdrew his hand from the falling water and undressed himself, emptying his pockets and setting his pocket knife, wallet, two mechanical pencils, a deck of cards, a multi-tool, and a handkerchief next to the sink on the counter in an arranged order. He quickly but carefully undressed himself, balling his clothes into a small pile beside the dirty-clothes hamper.

Cautiously, he raised his right hand to grip the bar on the far side of the shower, and hopped on one foot to enter the shower. Water had never felt better.

In the other room, Astrid had taken out a bowl of leftover spaghetti that she'd made the previous day. She didn't think about inviting Hiccup up to her apartment, and now she contemplated why she had done so. Over the past few weeks, she had gotten to know Hiccup, he seemed okay, and she'd really rather not have someone die of frostbite on her doorstep. That's it, a gesture made for the possible survival of another human being. She sighed, and Toothless perked up from the corner with Hiccup's stuff. "What's up, Toothless?" She asked.

Toothless pointed his nose upwards towards the ceiling, and Astrid smiled. "Ha-ha," She said dryly, "c'mon, you hungry?" She filled a bowl of water with the faucet and lowered a plate of ground beef and spaghetti sauce to the floor for the coal furred dog. Toothless' tongue lolled out as he padded over, nuzzling Astrid's legs then proceeded to lap the water and eat the beef. She scratched Toothless' back as he ate, and she didn't realize that dogs could purr. Of course, it was more of a less-growl than anything, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Astrid grabbed a second plate of spaghetti and placed it in the microwave, setting the timer for two minutes. When she turned around, the dog's green eyes were followed her, then looked downwards expectantly at his plate, which was now empty. She smiled, for being Toothless, he had a large appetite. "You want some more?" She asked, and Toothless lolled his tongue to the side and grinned. It was adorable, simply the most powerful puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen. She heard the water click off, and assumed Hiccup was done with his shower.

A few minutes later, Hiccup stood in the doorway of the main room, watching amusedly as Astrid was giving Toothless a belly rub and baby-talking to him. He cleared his throat rather loudly to catch her attention and she froze like a deer in the headlights. "You heard everything, didn't you?" She asked, still looking away from him.

Somehow, she knew he was smiling, and turned around to speak to him, but froze. He looked good. Like real good. Hiccup's eyes were shining with happiness and gratitude, and he had swept his hair to the side, giving him a more animated look. He had also shaved, with what she didn't know, revealing a very sharp jawline. He was wearing a red shirt and a pair of black workout pants. "H-how was i-it?" She couldn't believe that she stuttered.

"Oh the water was great. Never felt better." He said happily, running a hand through his wet auburn hair. "I-uh I shaved, you can probably see that, but uhm, yeah." He finished off awkwardly.

"Uh-yeah, you look good." Geez. They're both hopeless. Toothless seemed to think so at least, and went back to his catnap… dognap in the corner.

"Thanks... you look good too. Uhm, should we foldout the bed?" He asked, eyeing the couch, and glancing at the steaming bowl of spaghetti.

"Go ahead and eat first. Toothless already ate, in case you're wondering." Astrid said. Toothless perked up from his corner at the mention of his name, then laid back down.

Hiccup did as he was told, and grabbed the bowl of spaghetti and a fork. "So, what's your major?" He asked, after taking a few bites.

"I'm majoring in culinary arts and getting a minor in nutrition." Astrid answered. "You?" She mentally slapped herself for being tactless.

"Well, I would've majored in engineering." Hiccup finally said after a moment's thought. "Probably get a minor in mechanics or metal fabrication." Thinking back to his younger life, and the life he had now, he hadn't really changed. Less shooting and more nightmares, definitely, but he was still creating things. He continued eating, savoring each mouthful of noodles and spaghetti sauce. "Were you always this good at cooking?" He questioned, changing the subject.

Astrid flopped down on her back, laying across the couch. "Nope, I was a terrible cook when I was younger."

"Really?" He arched a brow, and placed the empty bowl down on the kitchen counter.

"Yep, made something I called yaknog, it sent a guy named Seth to the ER." Astrid said, smiling at the memory. She rolled off the couch, and began taking the cushions off.

Hiccup nodded slowly, uncomfortable with her smile. "Uh-huh." He helped her fold out the bed, and helped prepare it after she retrieved a spare set of bedding. "So-uh, I'm assuming they're house rules? Things you'd rather me not do?" He questioned, bending down to fit the fitted sheet (I don't know the technical term for the stretchy sheet thing.)

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She glanced at him. "Just don't make a mess, or do anything irrational or against the law." Astrid thought of her nightstand, which was currently holding a loaded handgun.

"That makes sense." His eyes darted over to Toothless. "You'll be glad to know that I've never committed a crime."

They finished preparing the bed, and they bid each other goodnight. Astrid went to her room and closed the door, leaving Toothless and Hiccup in the main room. The auburn haired man unfastened his prosthetic, setting it beside the newly converted couch-bed.

There was one issue though, after so long of sleeping on wooden benches or the alley's concrete, he wasn't used to sleeping on something soft. Even in Afghanistan, the most comfortable sleeping arrangements consisted of a cot and a sandbag. So he rolled and rolled, unable to find an optimal sleeping position. Eventually, he drifted off to a deep slumber with Toothless at his side.

()()()()()()()()()()

AN : Thanks for all the good words :D If anyone has questions as to where this story is going to be going, you can pm me and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. I'll probably be updating my stories once a week, maybe twice a week if I can fit in the time, but school's a pain. Now, Astrid sharing her apartment with Hiccup may seem like 'stranger danger' to you, and it probably is, but hey, she has a gun, and she also knows Hiccup isn't one to betray a person's trust.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: So I am passing my classes, which means that I get computer time! Ugh, I keep forgetting to update, so a week goes by and y'know, no updates from me, and then someone will message me (thanks btw) saying that I hadn't updated and I'm like 'wat' with a total derp face. (._.)

Warning for… terroristic stuff.

Chapter Six : Warmth

 _An entry team stood at the compound's doors, slamming it with a ram. Off to the side, Hayden and Thuggory were covering each other's backs. This compound was the new home of a cruel warlord, known for kidnapping women and children then enslaving them. Reports indicated that the warlord had moved his base of operations, and the Night Fury squad was called into action._

 _"This is taking too long." Hiccup muttered, listening to the ram pounding the iron gate._

 _Thuggory glanced at him. "Yeah, how come we didn't bring a chopper again?"_

 _"If we used the chopper's guns, we'd hit civi's." Hiccup answered, his anger growing. They could hear women and children crying out from beyond the wall._

 _"But the height would be useful." Thuggory remarked._

 _A light bulb lit up over Hiccup's head. Both figuratively and literally. "Thug, boost me." Hiccup said firmly. "I can get in, and get everyone out." Thuggory stared at him, baffled._

 _A few seconds of internal negotiations, and Thuggory finally conceded. "Alright, one… two… three! Up you go." He grunted, lifting Hiccup up and over the wall._

 _The entry team glanced at each in shock as they heard several gunshots, and anguished screams from men. Eret called over the radio. "Thug, do you have visual?"_

 _"Negative, Sarge."_

 _"What is it?" Dogsbreath asked._

 _Thug clicked the mic on again. "Haddock's wrath."_

 _Eret called over the radio again as they heard the man in question screamed a war cry._

 _A flurry of gunshots flew towards the enemy, hitting each of their marks as Hiccup reloaded. He was emptying his magazines quickly, aiming for each of the terrorists' heads and throats. Muzzle flash illuminated a face of complete ferocity, green eyes darted from target to target. Hiccup kicked down a door, using shock and surprise to his advantage, and after three bangs another three insurgents dropped to the floor, dead._

 _An hour later, the entry team finally got the gate open, and found the warlord they were after pleading for mercy. A cold voice sent chills down their spines. "You showed no mercy… so why should I?" Hiccup asked darkly, standing behind him._

 _"HADDOCK!" Eret shouted, and a gunshot filled the air._

 _The warlord slumped over, a gunshot between the eyes._

Hiccup snapped his eyes open, and sighed through his nose. That probably wasn't his best moment, thinking back to it. He sat up and stretched, popping joints in his arms and back. Early moonlight filtered in through the windows, barely illuminating the area around him. Toothless was still asleep next to him on the floor, snoring lightly and likely dreaming of chasing rabbits.

Thinking of his predicament and of Astrid's kindness, he knew that he had to return the favor somehow. After fastening his prosthetic, he stood up carefully; making sure to not step on the black dog. Testing his leg, he took a few steps shifting the pressure from leg to pegleg. Hiccup stepped over to the window, pushing a finger between the blinds to see the street… which was covered in snow. Unsurprising.

It took him a moment to realize he wasn't cold, then smiled in delight and gratitude. At this time of year, Berk was in a night cycle for nearly eighteen hours, with the sun rising around nine am, peaking at noon, and setting at three pm. It'd be another several hours before the sun rose, given that the current time was four am.

He lowered himself back onto the folded out couch, clearing his mind of all thoughts. Darkness crept further into the moonlit room as a cloud rolled above the building. This… was silent. There were no sirens blaring, no cars blasting music outside, not even a single cricket chirping.

He tried falling back asleep tucking himself in again, but stared blankly at the ceiling, watching the ceiling fan spin.

000

 _"Sweetie, we need to get going!" Sixteen year old Astrid heard her mother shout from outside her bedroom._

 _"Go where?!" Astrid yelled back, pulling out her headphones and then slipping into a pair of slim fit blue jeans._

 _"To the funeral I told you about!" Her mother, Eliza, opened the door. "C'mon, your father needs our support. The man was one of his squadmates. Now, get ready. I hear the man had a son who's a tiny bit older than you. You might make a friend."_

 _"I don't think funerals are for making friends." Astrid said, shrugging a jacket on. "This look okay?" She gestured to herself, donning a brown leather jacket with a black shirt and nice blue jeans without any tears or tattering._

 _"Yes Dear, your father and Aiden are waiting in the car." Eliza said._

 _After driving nearly an hour, as was the amount of time needed to travel from Aurvandil to Berk, they pulled into the funeral home's parking lot. Not many people were there, just a few other cars. It was an outdoor service, and when the coordinator asked for family members to stand, she saw an auburn haired teen stand alone._

 _So that was the son? She saw tears fall from his cheeks as military officers fired off volleys, then played Taps. Aiden also had tears in his eyes, but at the young age of four seeing someone else cry probably made him cry too. She glanced at her parents, seeing tears in their eyes as well. It was the first time she'd ever seen her father cry, and it broke her heart._

 _After the service was over, she caught glimpse of the other teenager's face as she walked past him, seeing dulled green eyes, and a few days old stubble on his chin. He seemed frozen in time, in disbelief of everything._

 _And the marble grave stone read:_

 **Steven 'Stoick The Vast' Haddock**

 **A man who protected his own.**

Astrid blinked her eyes as she quickly awoke. She immediately made the connection between the teen and the man in her living room, realizing they were the same person. She checked her alarm, glad that she read November eleventh, the second friday of November. Incredibly pissed though, because she woke up before her seven o'clock alarm by nearly two hours. No classes due to weather today, so that was a good thing. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and put a hand on the nightstand to steady herself as she sat up. After six years, she just sees him again? And he's in her home. It didn't make any sense to her.

Then again, of course it wouldn't make sense. It's been six years, a lot's happened. Which was an understatement.

She needed to talk to him, wanted to talk to him. After grabbing her phone and making sure she was decent, which she was, she stepped out in the hallway, and stealthily walked towards the living room, expecting him to be asleep. If he was, then she'd leave him alone. If not, then she'd play it off as needing a glass of water.

As she stepped into the kitchen, she stubbed her toe on a cabinet and let out a stream of constant mental curses and had to restrain herself from destroying the cabinet to deal with the pain.

But to her luck, he was still sleeping. She padded softly towards him, and sat down on the couch bed next to him.

Astrid hovered a hand near his head, then timidly ran her fingers through his hair. "...what are you doing?" He asked in a calm voice.

She gasped and withdrew her hand quickly. "You're awake?!"

"Uh… yeah." Hiccup opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the dim light. "I couldn't sleep."

"You should've said something." She punched his shoulder lightly, and felt a blush rising.

He chuckled. "Ow, I didn't know you were going to touch my hair!" He exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder.

Astrid stifled a laugh, and when his hand brushed her side to push away, she burst into a fit of giggles. "Stop it!" She said quickly, and as commanded he withdrew his hand.

"You're ticklish?" Hiccup's eyes went wide, and his smile grew into a smirk. Toothless snorted, and trotted to the other side of the room to escape the possible impending tickle war.

"N-no!" She exclaimed, indignant.

Raising both hands with his palms towards her, he said, "I won't do anything," then scooted over to give her more room to sit.

"Alright, fine. Are you ticklish?"

"No." His voice was firm, but she didn't buy into it. Astrid reached over to his abdomen and began tickling him. He grinned, and sat up. "Told ya." She reached up to his chin, where she knew a pressure point was, and scratched lightly. His eyes rolled back, and he leaned into the touch, eventually resting his head on her shoulder.

She looked down at him, seeing his small lopsided smile and closed eyes, and in that moment he looked more of a teenager than a man. Astrid would never admit it, but she actually liked him for being him, focusing on his personality than what he had in his wallet. Thinking back to her previous relationships, most of which ended badly with the male partner cheating on her, she knew this feeling was different. Hell, she was getting ahead of herself.

Astrid laid back, staying still so Hiccup wouldn't fall face down into her lap. They dozed off eventually, shoulders touching and faces inches apart from each other.

Late morning came quickly, and the auburn haired man awoke slowly. Flowers, he smelled flowers… close by? Maybe, he didn't remember flowers from last night. He cracked his eyes open, and saw blonde hair next to him. After sucking in a gasp, he realized he had slept with her… no not in that way, you nasty viewers. More like they fell asleep next to each other. And then tangled their limbs like a game of twister.

It was really warm. Like a snuggly warm, Astrid realized. She loved this hug-like warmth. She felt something shift, and tugged on the offending movement, pulling Hiccup back closer. His arms were wrapped around her abdomen, and he couldn't figure out a way to move without waking her.

Toothless was laying at the foot of the couch bed, snoring like a very quiet chainsaw. Like an electric razor. Hiccup whistled out a toot, waking the black dog. Toothless padded over to the side of the bed, and grunted as if to ask _"What do you want, Human."_

"I can't get Astrid off my arm." Hiccup whispered, and to his annoyance, Toothless gave a wolf-like grin, and huffed, then returned to his spot at the foot of the bed. The man groaned quietly and then sighed. Of course Toothless wouldn't help.

Astrid rolled over in her sleep, freeing Hiccup's hand, and he mentally cheered. _'Now how to thank someone for their generosity…?'_ He pondered to himself. _'Okay, I'm good with numbers… maybe help with homework? Stupid! She's in culinary, how much math would they do?'_ Then it clicked. _'Breakfast in bed.'_ After standing up, he pulled the sheets and blankets up to cover the her up, and tucked her in. Satisfied by the calm small smile she had, he made his way into the kitchen.

Astrid caught a whiff of… bacon and eggs? She was awakened further by the growling of her stomach, and opened her eyes to look towards the kitchen, seeing Hiccup tending to a pan and skillet. "What.." she yawned, "are you making?"

His head flicked up, and for a moment he was frozen. "I-uh… just a little breakfast."

She nodded sleepily, and rose to her feet to make her way to the kitchen. "You don't have to cook y'know." She mumbled, but was grateful for someone cooking for her.

"It's the least I can do. I-I mean, you shared your home with me… how can I possibly repay that debt?" Hiccup asked quietly, turning the eggs over before continuing. "You gave me food, I got the chance to shower, I even shaved!" He exclaimed and gestured grandly, mistakenly swinging the pan, his eyes turned glassy. For so long he had been without basic necessities, everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours seemed like a dream.

Astrid drew closer to him, taking his left hand in hers. "Hey, everyone needs help. I wanted to help, you don't have to do anything in return." She insisted, looking up at him, and a small smile graced both of them as they locked eyes.

The bacon began sizzling, and crackled, pulling him back into reality. They mentally cursed themselves for different reasons. He couldn't do this, probably shouldn't be this close. What would her parents think? What does she think of him?

She didn't know why she was like this. He was so easy to get along with, and so… refreshing. Something new after months upon years of college classes and a part time job. Her mother was even pressuring her to get a boyfriend, which Astrid found hypocritical.

As they sat down to eat together, they talked and bantered good naturedly.

 _'Perhaps something could happen.'_ They thought to themselves, finding more and more common interests and ideas.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ta-daaaaa its finally here! *bows*

Thank you for all the good reviews, it really means a lot. For those who wonder where I could go with this plot, I can promise you all of them are interesting, to say the least. Until next time my fellow writers and viewers!

Btw, should I do like an 'answering review questions' down here?'


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: I am totally putting other movie characters in here, prepare for underground gambling ring ( hint hint?)

Chapter Seven : What Used to be Home.

They had just finished breakfast, he was ready to leave her humble abode, however the weather decided to remain a snowstorm, and about a foot and a half of snow was on the streets now.

Astrid put on a kids movie, and Hiccup was paying it more attention than her. Of course, it had been awhile since he'd seen a movie, and the happy gleam in his eyes convinced her to not turn it off.

She called Gobber, asking if they were opening today or not, weather permitting. His reply was a 'ye' in his thick scottish accent. Hiccup looked up at the clock on the wall, seeing the hour hand hover over the eleven. Astrid arched a brow in confusion, seeing his warmhearted smile turn into a distanced flat face.

He stood up and went towards the laundry room, or closet rather… closet with laundry machine, given the small space to fit the combo washer/dryer, and changed into his normal clothes. "I'm sorry, Astrid, but I have to go. I have an… associate to meet." His back was towards her as he changed quickly.

She would've argued, but she saw his scarred back and arms and froze after getting a good look at him. Five scars traveled down the length of his back, like someone tried to fillet him, and other scars anywhere from a few inches to spanning the width or length of his back.

She noticed bite marks on his thighs and leg, and on his lower arms. How did she not notice those before?! "Hiccup? What _happened_ …?" Astrid asked in a small voice.

He whipped around, shocked that she had seen him change. "Afghanistan..." Hiccup brushed past her, his shock turning into embarrassment, and mumbled a thank you on the way out, he grabbed his staff and beckoned for Toothless to follow. He closed the door gently, leaving Astrid in a tense solitude.

He couldn't miss the meeting this time. His informant's really good with cards, and only showed up once or twice a month. Also something else about his informant, he was a handful.

Snow crunched under his shoe and prosthetic, his foot was numb and his fingers were losing feeling. There was a light snowfall outside, like ones you would see with Frosty the Snowman. Since the subway tunnel was part of a larger network, Hiccup and Old Wrinkly had to share their portion of the tunnel. In an elaborate and probably complex compromise, it was agreed that the duo would have to share their tunnel with a gambling ring led by a large man named Yama.

Though it didn't matter. Everyone knew that Yama would eventually get run out of Berk... just like what happened in San Fransokyo. He was an average card player, but lacked the energy or resources to maintain the illegal operation, which meant the police found the hideouts rather quickly.

The subway gate was across the street, and Hiccup approached it quickly, looking both ways before crossing the empty road. He opened the gate, desperate to get out of the weather, slipping inside with Toothless and then shut it behind him. His prosthetic and staff clicked down the stairs as he made his way deeper underground.

Hiccup knelt down, eyeing bootprints on the lightly frosted concrete. "Alright bud, follow the scent." Toothless huffed and sniffed the bootprint. His tongue lolled out as he pointed a paw forward, and then trotted alongside the human as they traveled the length of the tunnel.

After crossing a few corridors, and going through some doors, Hiccup saw lights flicker, and he knew he found the right place. He opened the metal door, and was greeted by two burly bouncers in biker jackets. The room was crowded, and most of the people were hunched over a large man with bushy eyebrows who was wearing a blue and yellow striped hoodie. Yama kind of resembled Jabba the Hutt, but way worse with security.

There was a tall man wearing a brown trench coat, obscuring his shirt and his jeans, leaning on the wall across the room from Yama. Wearing a pair of goggles over his eyes, he also had a baseball cap on and a red scarf covered the lower half of his face. The man was standing behind a teenager, who was apparently winning the betting pots if the stacks of cash were anything to go by.

The teen was wearing a gray jacket with a red shirt underneath, and had black cargo pants on. "Ah, Mr. Haddock. So glad you could join us today." Yama stated with a slight japanese accent, eyeing the lean man. "And you look clean! Congratulations." He sneered.

Hiccup gripped the staff tighter. He didn't like Yama, or his comments. "I wouldn't want to dirty myself speaking to you then." He retorted dryly, causing the other man and teen to smirk. Toothless even barked a laugh.

One of the bouncers kicked Toothless, muttering "stupid mutt." And Hiccup instantly retaliated, swinging the staff at blinding speed towards the man's chest. The sound of a crack and several crunches filled the air, and the bouncer dropped to the ground curling inwards.

"Huh. Four broken ribs and a shattered sternum." The teen commented. The other thugs made to attack Hiccup, but Yama stopped them.

"No fighting." He ordered harshly. "Mr. Haddock is on the Council." Yama informed the others, and they backed off.

"C'mon, we've over extended our stay." the man said, and walked out of the room into the corridor. The teenager quickly grabbed his winnings and stuffed them in his pockets, and jogged after the other man.

Hiccup stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind them. "Do you guys have what I asked for?"

"Hiro, show him." The teen, Hiro, was flicking through the wads of cash, straightening out hundred dollar bills and stored them neatly in his wallet.

"Yeah, it's right here." Hiro withdrew a gift card, a USB, and another device. "Alright, this should be enough video evidence to work with. The usb also has the tests you requested, I'm sure you can use a computer at the library, when you're done, email Tadashi here and he'll know if you got your degree or not. The card has enough for a week's worth of food."

"Really?" Hiccup forgot to breathe for several moments. This… this fixes everything!

The man pulled down his scarf, and stuck a hand out. "Dagur should be behind bars. I trust you will handle this evidence with care." Hiccup gripped Tadashi's hand firmly, shaking it gratefully.

 _-Two Years Ago-_

 _There was total darkness outside. Even with the moon, nothing could be seen because of the cloud cover. A masked man approached the Haddock household with canisters of gasoline and kerosene in hand. Driven by complete insanity, the man began pouring the fuel along the walls of the house. With one last smirk, he lit a match and dropped it on the fuel, causing flames to erupt all around the house._

 _Hiccup smelled burning something. Burning wood? Fuel? He sniffed the air again, then saw flames through the window of the living room. He had come down for a midnight snack, hoping for a bowl of cereal._

" _Shit." He ran as best as he could upstairs to his bedroom, and grabbed a large backpack that he'd kept from Afghanistan. "Okay okay okay. Uh, clothes!" He rushed to his closet and grabbed a few pairs of jeans and t-shirts, several pairs of underwear, and even more pairs of socks… but only the right ones, and stuffed them into the backpack. "Uhh important stuff!" He said to himself, feeling the temperature rise quickly, and went to his nightstand to retrieve his handgun, a glock 17, and a few magazines of ammo. From the same drawer he grabbed his pocket knife, a whetstone, a deck of cards, and his wallet. He opened the drawer beneath and grabbed three leather bound notebooks, two spiral notebooks, and a set of mechanical pencils and led cases, then threw them in the backpack as well. He jumped across the bed, pulling the other night stand's drawers out completely, and grabbed all of his personal documents, ranging from receipts to citizenship papers and his passport._

 _Smoke began filling his room, and he slipped blue jeans on over his pajama pants, and a hoodie over his bare chest. With one last look around the room, he spotted his mother's bible and staff, and he retrieved them quickly before running out of the house. In the distance he saw a silhouette running away with canisters under his arms._

"-iccup?" Hiro waved a hand in front of his face. Hiccup breathed in and out quickly, trying to reimmerse himself in reality.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

000

Astrid had been alternating between studying, netflix, and winter cleaning. She thought about several things regarding Hayden, such as what to talk about. Should she bring up the scars? Probably not. Will she bring up his scars to satisfy her own sense of curiosity and worry? Yes.

Her phone began ringing. She answered it with a swipe to the right. "Hey Mom."

"Hi sweetie." Eliza said. Astrid heard a very loud 'Hi Astrid!' from Aiden. "Aiden says hi." The young woman smiled, and knew that her mother was also grinning. "So I called to ask if you were coming home for Thanksgiving, there's plenty of room here." Astrid closed her eyes, not wanting to have the conversation. "Y'know, for a boyfriend… or something."

Near instantaneously, she thought about Hiccup, and blushed. "You're thinking about someone right now, aren't ya." Eliza said, pulling Astrid out of her thoughts.

"...no." She mumbled.

"Whatever." Eliza turned on a movie for Aiden to keep him from running throughout the house. "I better see him this Thanksgiving. Alright Sweetie, I've got lunch to cook so I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom." The phone line disconnected, and Astrid groaned loudly. As she thought about it, she realized that Hiccup did owe her a favor technically, and having no better options she began thinking up a plan to have a successful Thanksgiving by impressing her mother.

00000000000

AN: I told ya that I'd have another chapter done this weekend. Chapter four of Dragon's Flame will be released tomorrow (I'm editing it right now). And is it possible for this to be a combination of a 'fake dating au' and a 'whatever AU this already is?'

yup.

Brawlergamer, as far as I'm planning, Thuggory and Eret are still alive, it is okay to assume that they retired from the military and went to their respective homes.

(insert anyone who questions why Hiccup is on the streets) Carl Solo is correct, and I also hoped to bring some answers to your questioning minds. I plan on leading the next chapter with another flashback that will bring a bit more clarity to the scenario.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

So many reviews! I'm actually really flattered that you guys are saying good things.

Chapter Eight : Choices

 _A twenty one year old Hayden Haddock laid on the bed in his room. His home was a small two story house, a total of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a single kitchen along with a small living room. It felt empty without his father, and he was still recovering from Afghanistan. Midday sun shone through the window… He groaned, realizing there was nothing to eat._

 _When Steven passed away, Hayden inherited everything, including debts. Unable to find a job, and unable to pay off debts. Who wanted an unstable and crippled man working for them? No one. Sure there were finance support groups. Emotion support groups. Some other kind of group therapy here and there, but what he really needed was a job. He sold the family furniture, savoring every dime and dollar and immediately putting it towards food and debt payment._

 _And he finally found one, a mechanic's position at an auto-shop. After working for several months, and eventually paying off some of the smaller debts, Hayden was finally able to afford refurnishing the house._

" _Hey Haddock, Boss wants to see you in his office!" Agnar, a co-worker, announced._

" _Alright!" Hiccup shouted back, and wiped his grimy hands on a towel nearby. He had been tearing an engine apart, cleaning each individual piece, then putting it back together. Hiccup tossed the towel on his shoulder, and approached the office, opening the door. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"_

 _A middle aged man with flaming red hair and acid green eyes sat in a leather chair behind a wooden desk. "Yes. Please, have a seat." He gestured to two upholstered chairs._

 _Hiccup opened his mouth and closed it again, then finally found the right words to say. "Uh, with all due respect Sir, I'd rather not get the chairs dirty."_

" _Oh, right. Very well then." The man said, and stood up before walking around the edge of the desk towards him, then leaned back on it with palms on the desk. "I understand that you've been looking for money, Haddock."_

 _Hiccup nodded urgently, thinking about the month's bills and the other debts he still owed. "Yes Sir... that's why I have this job."_

" _I have a proposition for you, Mr. Haddock. You see, my other associates and I require a man of your… caliber." The man said, and Hiccup was catching on to where this was going._

 _Hiccup narrowed his eyes, and thought it over. Reward for turning them in? Yes. Will he be out of a job? Yes. Should he accept?_

" _What do you need." The boss grinned madly, and gave him a slip of paper. Hiccup read the paper, and looked up at the boss. "Are you sure?"_

" _Not at all. That is only the first target. The second and third are expected to have more."_

' _I'm defecting.' Hiccup thought to himself. 'Damn. What's more important. Money, or morals.'_

" _If you're having second thoughts, you can walk out of here." the Boss said, rubbing his palms together._

 _A very tempting offer. Hiccup fought against himself for a moment… "I'm in." He said firmly._

" _Good. Call me Dagur." And with that handshake, they both knew that in the end they'd betray the other._

Hiccup sat in the library at a computer cubicle, cycling through the files on the USB that the Hamada brothers had given him. A video file began playing, from the perspective of a street cam, and he followed the motion of a black van traveling during the night. He looked at the date, and recognized it to be the night that his home had fallen victim to arson. Toothless stared at the screen, growling slightly when he saw Hiccup's scowl.

 _VIDEO:_

 _The van parked in a neighbor's driveway, and a masked man opened the side door, then jumped out with canisters under his arms._ Hiccup would have to thank Hiro again for the HD quality. _From the camera's perspective, the side mirror of the van reflected a small amount of light from a nearby streetlight, allowing anyone with the video to see clearly that Agnar was driving the van._

Hiccup scowled, remembering his 'encounter' with Agnar after the incident. The bastard gave up Dagur's name in a heartbeat. A flash of the other man's bloodied face entered his mind, and he shook his head to clear the thought. He rubbed Toothless' head as he watched the video.

"Thought I'd find you here." A voice said from behind. He stood up quickly and whirled around, covering the computer screen. It was Tuffnut.

"Oh, it's you." Hiccup said, relieved. "How's it going?" He shook his hand, and gestured to the seat next to him.

"It's been better." Tuff said with a grimace while sitting down. "I-uh… Do you get nightmares?" His tone was low, and Hiccup knew the tone all too well.

After sitting again, the auburn haired man nodded, and said dryly, "I'm going to sound like a hotline commercial… but it really does help to talk about them."

"...That's why I came to you." Hiccup looked at him in surprise, and arched a brow.

"Me?" He asked, gesturing to himself, and turned back to the computer screen, closing out of the video player. Tuffnut nodded. "I-I'm all ears then." Toothless was laying against the cubicle wall, but perked up and trotted over to Tuffnut.

"I have nightmares of working in Afghanistan." He paused. "But instead of seeing wounded soldiers or rescued people, I see my sister…" Tuffnut's hands shook slightly, and he had to grip them together to stop the shaking. "To see my sister in the worst conditions I've seen for victims… it terrifies me." Toothless nudged the blonde man's hand, and he patted the dog lightly.

Hiccup reached a hand forward, resting it on the other man's shoulder. "That's why we served, Tuffnut. To protect people from that fate." He turned back to the screen, and logged off of the computer. "I would never let anyone else suffer the same fate I did."

Tuff glanced at his watch, then leaned back in the chair to look up at the lights, and sighed."I guess that made me feel a little better. Thanks, Hayden." Tuffnut stood up, and patted himself down to make sure he still had his phone and wallet.

"If you need to talk again, you can find me in the abandoned subway tunnel near Raven's Point Bridge." Hiccup said.

"Thanks again, Hayden." They shook hands, and Tuff asked. "Hey, didn't you have a backpack with you last time we met?"

"Yeah it should be right," he turned around and gestured to the cubicle corner, "here." It wasn't there. He had left it at Astrid's. Hiccup unplugged the USB and stuffed it in his pocket, and scrambled to pick up his staff. "I guess Astrid has all my stuff."

"Astrid?" Tuff questioned.

"She-uh… let me stay the night. She forced me to, actually." He ran a hand through his auburn hair, and let out a small chuckle. Toothless snorted, and grinned at Hiccup's slightly flushed face.

"Sounds like her. Well, I'm gonna head back home, I have Game Of Thrones to catch up on."

They shared a laugh. "Alright then, see you around, Tuff." They bade each other goodbyes, and left the library in different directions.

Astrid had been watching netflix, studying, and a little bit of cleaning during the course of the morning. Her thoughts usually went back to Hiccup, prompting her to shake her head to clear it. Currently, she was lying across the couch, feet propped up on the arm rest, with a netflix show on.

Her gaze shifted to the backpack sitting propped up against the wall, and she realized that Hiccup had left it by mistake. Another reason to see him then, she decided.

A few minutes passed, and curiosity got the better of her. Astrid got to her feet leisurely, and padded over to the backpack. She was surprised by the weight, weighing much less than she had initially thought. As soon as she set it on the kitchen table, a knock sounded at the door.

Astrid peeked through the eyehole, and saw Hiccup standing in the hallway, dressed the same as earlier, but had a worried look. She opened the door, and placed a hand on her hip. "Want to tell me why you left like that?"

His eyes widened slightly at her tone. "N-no… Not really." He glanced through the doorway, and saw his backpack on the table. "Did you go through my stuff?" He asked in a small voice.

She stared at him for another moment, before answering truthfully. "No, I was about to though." They stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before she asked. "Hiccup, do you trust me?"

A lopsided smile appeared at his lips, speaking louder than words. However, he still said "yes."

Astrid smiled, and he gave a small grin. "Good, because I need a favor." She let him inside, and the duo sat across from each other at the table, while Toothless lied down beside the couch. Hiccup then moved the backpack off the table to clear up some space, letting it slump against his leg before turning his attention back to her. "I need you to be my boyfriend."

Toothless perked up, and barked a laugh while Hiccup sputtered like a rusted car engine. "I-I'm sorry, w-what!?"

Astrid face palmed harshly, and explained. "My mom's inviting me to Thanksgiving dinner and she wants me to bring a 'boyfriend,'" She used air quotes around the word, "home." He gave her a disbelieving look, in utter shock with his jaw to the floor. She smiled sheepishly at him.

They sat in silence as Hiccup tried to wrap his mind around what she was asking, then he glanced at Toothless and saw him nod with a wolfish smile. He leaned back in the chair, and met her bright blue eyes with his own. "Alright… I'll help."

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In summary of the week and a half that I've been away: One AP US History CBA (like an official school district test), one AP US History exam, one AP Calculus exam, one english essay ( exam grade), an English CBA, a Physics CBA, and an astronomy exam. I took the PSAT today, which I think was a big waste of time.

In other news, GotB, FotS, and Dragon's Flame should all be getting another chapter this weekend. Since I had a crap ton of tests last week, these next couple weeks should relatively be slow weeks, with only minor grades like quizzes and practice essays.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

Holy crap I totally forgot to write. Like not even joking I've been playing Elite: Dangerous and Space Engineers and having tons of fun (both great games if you're into sci-fi or sandbox games) Anyways, my bad for abandoning you people. Seriously, I was all like 'Oh how long has it been since I've updated' *last updated - Oct 19* 'Aw damn.'

Warning for uncomfortable feelings, like scratching a chalkboard with fingernails ( *shudders* )

Chapter Nine :

" _Give me a name!" A crunch sounded out as a tall lanky man brutally punched a man across the jaw. "Don't make this worse for yourself." They were in an abandoned warehouse, old and moldy from disuse. A single chair sat with a man tied to it under the only light in the warehouse, and a few feet away there stood a table with japanese take-out on it._

 _A man was tied to a chair. He spat out a tooth and a glob of blood. "Didn't think you had this in you, Haddock. They teach you to torture in the army?"_

 _Hiccup crouched down in front of Agnar, and gripped Agnar's chin, forcing him to face forward and growled. "This isn't torture. This is the warmup."_

 _Agnar grunted in pain as Hiccup drove a screwdriver into his shoulder. "We could've had everything, Haddock!" The auburn haired man withdrew the screwdriver._

" _And now I have nothing because of your greed." He reached behind him, grabbing the small tray of sushi and gripped the chopsticks correctly in his left hand. "You wanted something green, right?" Hiccup pinched a glob of wasabi with the chopsticks, and jabbed it into the same place the screwdriver had vacated._

 _An agonizing scream echoed throughout the warehouse. "It was Dagur!" Agnar screamed. "Please, please stop this!" Tears were streaming from his eyes, clenched from the burning pain in his shoulder._

 _To his horror, Hiccup sat on the table and began to eat the sushi with his fingers, leaving the chopsticks and the wasabi in his shoulder._

Hiccup blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling a somewhat soft couch mattress under him. His hand drooped over the side, stroking Toothless' fur. Astrid had let him stay the night again, and it was a good thing too, for it had rained heavily overnight.

He heard four light clicks before the gas stove ignited underneath a pan. Astrid must getting breakfast started. Hiccup rolled onto his back, and forced himself to sit up and stretched. She was dressed in black sweatpants and had a light blue tank top on. "Good morning." She said, and cracked an egg on the pan.

He yawned, "...Morning." Hiccup said with a morning voice, sounding much gruffer than normal. He reached a hand up, sweeping his long hair out of his face and rubbing his eyes. Here again, she was providing for him, he was here, warm and fed instead of cold and hungry on the streets. Toothless let out a groan towards them for disturbing his slumber. "Big baby boo." Hiccup ruffled Toothless' scruff, and scratched the black dog under the chin.

He heard sizzling, and a few moments later his host brought two plates with hard-fried eggs and sat down on the couch bed beside him, handing him one of the plates and a fork. He gratefully accepted it, and began slicing the egg into smaller pieces. After a few moments of eating, he finally asked. "So-uh… how is _this_ going to work?" He gestured between himself and Astrid.

Astrid smiled, and explained. "We're going to spend Thanksgiving week with my Mom and brother, she has a guest room set up for you and I'll be sleeping in my old room." She tapped her leg, repeatin pattern starting with her pinky and ending on her index. "Heather's coming too, she's practically a second daughter to my mom."

Hiccup's worry grew, an entire week with Astrid and her family? What would Wrinkly think, or better yet, what happened if he had a panic attack? He had no idea how her mother would react, while many families in Berk stood with the military, not everyone appreciated the strain unintentionally placed on families, of soldiers dying in a far away place, or not being able to see loved ones for months at a time with no clue as to whether they were alive or not. Not to mention, Dagur was still out there.

He didn't know how to put it. "Astrid… are you sure? You're you… and I'm _me_." He said deprecatingly, gesturing to himself.

Astrid placed a hand on his arm, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes." She said firmly. "That's exactly why I asked, you're _you_!" She said, then punched him in the shoulder. "Don't you ever forget that." There was a lot of him that he wanted to forget.

"Ouch!" His worry was settled, somewhat replaced by the pain in his shoulder. Hiccup frowned to himself, deep in thought. He had to find Dagur soon, bring him out of the shadows and into the light, and let the law take care of him. Upon seeing her grin, he forced himself to smile, taking part in the light heartedness of the situation.

The next week passed quickly, after that morning Hiccup returned to the subway tunnel each day, spending time with a few of the older homeless individuals and helping them with their supplies. He patched clothes, mended shoe laces, and rezipped the zippers on backpacks. Old Wrinkly knew something was off with him, he didn't usually work this objectively. On that friday, the day before Hiccup would travel and stay with Astrid, Heather, and Astrid's family for a week, the old man questioned him.

Old Wrinkly handed Hiccup a needle and a patch of cloth. They were in the tunnel again, sitting by the fire at his rinkadink workstation mending a backpack that had fallen apart from overuse. "What's on your mind?" Wrinkly questioned. Hiccup looked up, and week's worth of beard was showing again, making him look older.

"I-I'm leaving," Hiccup replied, and spoke quickly while shrugging his shoulders, "I owe someone a favor and it involves going somewhere for a week."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with a college student with blonde hair, would it?" The old man was grinning, and he noticed Hiccup blush. "Ahh it does, doesn't it!" Wrinkly laughed.

Hiccup pushed the needle through the backpack again, continuing his work. "Yeah yeah… whatever."

"She's not your type? I always thought you were into sunny haired girls." Wrinkly said, thinking back to their conversations of previous girlfriends and in Wrinkly's case, wife.

"No, no it's not that. I just don't want to drag her into all… _this."_ He waved his hand around, emphasizing the word.

Old Wrinkly rested a hand on his shoulder. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll still be around to keep an eye out."

Hiccup grinned cheekily. "Like you can see anything." To be fair, Wrinkly did need a pair of glasses. The older man swatted him with a newspaper, causing them both to chuckle. He stood up, and went to the entrance to see the light becoming dimmer. Hiccup turned back to see Wrinkly preparing to move to the shelter.

"Go on," the old man said. "You deserve to live a good life."

"So do you." Hiccup remarked, resting a hand on the handrail of the stairs.

"My time's come and gone, lad. I'm fine with what I have." Wrinkly said, and began walking up the stairs. Hiccup followed soon after, and as they entered street level again, he turned around and locked the gate behind them. Hiccup stood still, unsure of what to do. "Goodnight, Hayden, stay safe on your trip." Wrinkly smiled and patted Hiccup's arm.

"I'll be back soon, Wrinkly." Hiccup stated and clasped his arm as a handshake. They went their separate ways, and before long Hiccup stood before Astrid's apartment door. After knock a series of barks and growls made him laugh lightly. "It's me, Toothless!" He shouted at the door and the barking ceased. The door opened to reveal Astrid and Toothless bounding around next to the couch. "Thanks, Astrid. Has he been good for you?" He asked while stepping inside. Toothless rolled his eyes and grumbled, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, as if thinking ' _I'm always good.'_

"Yeah, he's been good. No, Toothless, that's Hiccup's." She said pointing into the kitchenette space. Toothless was standing on his hind leg, trying to bite into a T-bone steak already set on a plate. The black dog looked at them with comically wide green eyes, and huffed. "Saved dinner for you." Astrid explained.

"Thanks." He said, smiling. "Hey, uh… I'm gonna need to know a little bit about your family, in case your Mom decides to question me." She looked at him with an arched brow from the couch, as he stood before the microwave, and then she realized that he was right.

Astrid brightened. "Thanks for reminding me." The microwave beeped loudly, and Hiccup took the plate out and grabbed a fork from the dish rack next to the sink. He made his way into the lounge area and sat beside Astrid on the couch.

After he sat down, she explained how her father became an alcoholic, resulting in her parent's divorce and her mother winning custody of her and Aiden. As she began talking about her mother's career in cooking and food shows, Hiccup interrupted her with a question.

"Following in her footsteps?"

Thinking of tenderizing hammers and the multitude of knives she had in her kitchen space, she said, "I like food." He nodded, and ate silently as she continued on with her family heritage, and the battle axe that was sitting in her room back home. The night drew on, and after another few hours of conversation, they bid each other a goodnight and Hiccup slept on the couch again while Astrid slept in her room.

Rays of sunlight filtered in through window blinds as the city came to life. Inside the apartment, Hiccup and Astrid were eating breakfast and preparing themselves for the day. A knock sounded at the door as he placed the dishes in the sink, and Astrid opened the door to reveal three figures, a slim raven haired woman, a tall but chubby blonde man, and Tuffnut.

"Heather, Frank!" Astrid greeted, inviting them inside, and looked at Tuffnut. "Thomas?"

He blinked and nodded, giving a small smile. "Just dropping something off for Hayden." He explained.

Hiccup came out of the kitchen, moving to greet Tuffnut. "Mornin' Tuff." And added a bit quieter as Frank helped Heather remove her coat and scarf. "You doing okay?"

Tuffnut nodded, and swung a satchel to hold it between them. "Yeah, I've been doing better. I- I've uh, I've stopped drinking. Well, serious drinking. I like mead too much to ever give up on it." Hiccup furrowed his brows at the revelation, but smiled nonetheless. "Oh, and uh, more clothes for you, they should fit." Tuffnut said, opening the satchel, there was a few flannel shirts, and a pair of nicer jeans.

Before Hiccup could thank him, "I'm sorry, I don't think I've met you before." Heather said from behind Hiccup, spooking him slightly. He turned around, a gracious smile across his lips.

"Likewise," Hiccup said, and stuck his hand out, "Hayden Haddock." They shook hands, and he shot a glance at Astrid, who was explaining to Frank that they would all be safe during the trip.

"So I've heard, Astrid's told me all about you." She was evaluating him, he realized, and that she was another to know the 'totally dating but not dating' secret.

"Hopefully good things." Hiccup murmured, still smiling, and returned his gaze to Tuffnut. "Thank you, Tuff."

"No problem, man. Well, I best be heading out, drive safe!" Tuffnut said to the group, making his way to the door.

"Later Tuff!" Astrid called out. Frank looked a bit sheepish, and gave Heather another hug.

"It's just going to be a week, sweety, try not to watch all of our shows while I'm gone, okay?" Heather said sweetly, smiling.

"Okay." He mumbled, slightly dejected. "Bye Astrid, and other person whose name I don't know."

"Oh Frank, this is Hayden, Hayden Haddock." Astrid interjected, and he made an 'ohh' sound in understanding. "I'm sure Seth has an xbox party planned for the weekend, you'll be fine." She said as Frank stepped out of the door, and closed the door after he said goodbye once again. Astrid sighed in excited contentedness, and turned around.

Hiccup looked between the two women, and got a feeling that this week would be interesting to say the least. "I'm ready if you are."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

AN: And I finally know how to reintroduce Thuggory, Eret, and introduce Dagur for the first time. Oh this will be brilliant. If I actually remember to write the story. Yup. Didn't mean to keep you waiting that long, by the way.

On another note, I will finish this one, and not update anything else until I am happy that that story is complete, like Dragon's Flame, I'm going to finish that story, post daily updates, then move onto the next story of your choosing. I'm going to try and tackle each of my somewhat abandoned fics until they are complete, hows that sound?

Oh, and the beginning scene is actually a scene from 'Person of Interest,' really good show, its on Netflix if anyone wants to check it out.


	10. A Mother's Intuition

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything.

Apologies are in order, I neglected my fanfictions and in turn I neglected y'all.

Warning for cursing.

Chapter Ten : A Mother's Intuition

" _Gods Dammit all!" A voice roared angrily, awaking a raven haired woman. Oh she could not wait until she moved out for college. She heard a chair crash against a wall, and glass shattering. She checked the time, eleven pm._

" _Heather! Where the hell are you!?"_

 _The raven haired woman, Heather, sighed. "Right here Damien, take your shit outside!" She screamed back at him._

" _Screw off!"_

 _A fist banged against her door. "What!?" Heather yelled._

" _They got Agnar, Sis. The cops found him half dead this morning at an old warehouse."_

' _Good,' she thought, 'hopefully they'll catch you too.' She heard another fist punch the wall in the living room. "I told you to leave!"_

 _The front door slammed a few moments afterwards, and she turned over in her bed, getting into a comfortable position to sleep. "Just a few more months." Heather reminded herself._

Heather woke slowly as Astrid tapped her shoulder. "We're here." She said, then got out of the car and walked to the door of the small mansion.

"Astrid, you never told me your mother lived in a mansion!" Hiccup said quietly as he was unloading his belongings and the two women's suitcases.

There was a small shriek as the large front doors to the house opened and Hiccup saw a blonde woman run outside and nearly tackle Astrid while laughing. Then, a moment later the same woman released Astrid and embraced Heather.

Like any other person, he just stood there awkwardly, waiting for some clue as to what to do. "Hiccup, this is my Mom, Mom, this is Hiccup."

Astrid's mother released Heather, still smiling, before looking him up and down and turning to Astrid. "Hiccup cannot possibly be his real name." She stated, but still moved forward and pulled him into a squeeze.

He returned the hug, and explained, "My real name is Hayden, but I prefer Hiccup." She furrowed her brows slightly, pondering on the name before releasing him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come in, come in." Mrs. Hofferson said, holding the door open for the girls and him.

" _Come with me to my Mom's for the summer, she won't mind." A younger Astrid, eighteen, but closer to nineteen years old said. "There's a lot of space at the house."_

 _Heather, younger as well, grinned. "Really?"_

Now, Heather is treated as an honorary member of the Hofferson family. The raven haired woman took her luggage from Hiccup and walked into the house, following Mrs Hofferson, but not before turning back and winking at Astrid. Hiccup was blissfully unaware, kneeling down before Toothless and petting him quite happily. Astrid tapped his head, and beckoned him to follow her inside.

She heard her mother call out from the kitchen, "Astrid, I trust you to show him a tour of the house?"

"Sure thing Mom! C'mon Hiccup." She led him through the house, showing him glances of the kitchen, the living room, the secondary living room, the game-room, all four, before doubling back to show him the guest bedrooms and her bedroom. She opened the door to her bedroom, looked around the room before her eyes settled on her nightstand, and immediately closed the door before blushing a deep shade of scarlet.

Hiccup took notice quickly, and before he could ask, she held up a finger for him to shush. "Ah-okay I won't ask."

When they returned to the kitchen, they found Toothless eagerly accepting belly rubs and bits of sausage from Heather. "You never mentioned Toothless was so adorable, Hiccup." Heather remarked, and Hiccup sat down at the table, striking up a conversation about how they met.

Astrid quietly stomped into the kitchen and exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "You left _Condoms_ in my bedroom!?" Her mother smirked, and covered the pot of soup on the stove before turning to her.

"You're lucky I managed to get your brother to spend the week at your Grandmother's."

" _What?_ " She was in disbelief, "You thought Hiccup and I were going to -" She didn't say the words, nor did she have to.

"- have sex?" Eliza kept her smirk while Astrid's jaw dropped. The older woman turned back to the pot and opened the lid to stir the soup around, "Truthfully, I don't think you will, however I understand that young people can have… urges… so I left them there. I hope it isn't an issue. Oh, and I believe I forgot to mention this, but I turned the second guest bedroom into a workout room…"

Astrid's jaw tightened and she scowled at her mother, albeit a soft scowl, "You planned this." and groaned as her mother nodded. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Why?"

"I just want to see you happy, Astrid. I really, honestly do."

"You miss him?"

Her mother nodded. "I miss our family." Astrid nodded in understanding, and hugged her.

"I do too." She confided, remembering past Thanksgivings and Christmas's. Back before the divorce happened. It was something neither of them wanted, but unfortunately it still happened.

A timer dinged, and Eliza broke the hug to uncover the pot. "Lunch is ready, Sweetie, can you get some bowls down?" Astrid opened the cupboards and got four bowls down, before leaving the kitchen to tell Hiccup and Heather that lunch is ready.

Hiccup sent a glance to Astrid, before smiling and getting served a bowl of soup. She joined him and Heather at the table. Hiccup was sitting with his back towards Eliza, while Astrid and Heather sat on the other side of the table from him. Eliza joined them a few moments later, bringing a plate of lemon wedges in case they wanted to add some 'zing' to their soup. Lunch went by quietly, however when Toothless adorably stuck his snout in Eliza's lap so that only his nose only poked out from under the tablecloth, she couldn't contain the small laugh as the coal furred dog sniffed and sniffed.

"That's enough, Toothless." Hiccup said gently, prompting the dog in question to retreat under the table again and popping up in Astrid's lap.

"Aww, you're so adorable Toothless." She looked at Hiccup with a bright smile, and if it were possible, he would've melted right on the spot.

"You're spoiling him," He said softly and grinned.

' _I don't think I'll have to worry about Astrid's happiness.'_ Eliza thought, and she shared a glance with Heather, knowing that she had also seen the spark between the _couple_ in question.

Toothless whined, and went to Hiccup's lap to beg. "Nu-huh Bud, you've already had your lunch." With a huff, he laid at Hiccup's feet. "I hope he isn't too much of a bother, Mrs. Hofferson."

"Oh I doubt he will be, he's very well behaved." Toothless sat up and nuzzled Eliza's thigh at the praise.

As they finished their soup, Heather stood up and took everyone's bowls to the kitchen to help Eliza wash them. In their absence, Astrid leaned over the table and pulled Hiccup by his collar so she could whisper in his ear. "We're going to have to share a bed." She murmured in his ear.

He pulled back slightly, arching a brow, "What?"

"Don't make it weird, okay? We've already fallen asleep together, and I trust you." She said, remembering the morning when they dozed off together.

He nodded, "Yes Milady."

"Good, knew I can count on you." Hiccup was lost in her eyes again, and he had a daydreamy look. Astrid smiled, and patted his cheek gently. "Astrid to Hiccup." She said teasingly.

"Mhm, I understand Milady."

"Hiccup can you come in here?" Heather's voice came from the kitchen and he and Astrid went into the kitchen to help put away dishes from the dishwasher. Hiccup, being the tallest person in the house, was responsible for the higher shelves in the cupboards.

They emptied the dishwasher in a few minutes, and they returned to the living room to lounge about for the afternoon. Astrid and Heather went upstairs to unpack, leaving Hiccup and Eliza alone.

She turned to him for a second before turning the television on. "You're Stoick's boy." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

He nodded slowly, "Y-yes Ma'am."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Hiccup nodded again, he felt his voice leaving him. "Thank you." His head hung slightly, and spoke again. "I-I -"

Eliza hushed him gently. "I remember you from your father's funeral. The whole family was there, too."

Hiccup nodded gently. "I recognized Astrid when I met her, but I wasn't sure from where."

"That's understandable, she's changed a lot over the years." She pulled her legs up onto the couch, sitting comfortably. "I see you've changed as well."

He smiled softly, and chuckled. "I have, physically. Spiritually? Not so much."

Eliza changed the channel to the Food Network, "I beg to differ. I remember you hiding in your room whenever our family would come over. As a child you feared Astrid. Am I wrong?"

Hiccup blushed lightly. "I didn't fear her… I was just shy."

She grinned. "I'm sure you were." The chef on the T.V. was making pastries. "Be honest with me, Haddock," Eliza said, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Does Astrid make you happy?" He nodded, and opened his mouth but she shushed him. "Do you make her happy?" Hiccup hesitated, but nodded again. "Do you regret anything you've done?"

"I-uh." But he stopped, and nodded, his gaze drooping in shame.

Eliza put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Call it a mother's intuition, but I know you're searching for pieces of the past." He looked up at her. "Your father would want you to see this."

She stood up and counted a number of books on the bookcase beside the television and pulled on one of them. Hiccup heard a latch click, and he realized the bookcase was a door to a hidden room. Eliza called up to her daughter, "We're going to be in the study, Darling!" and then she glanced at him as she stepped into the room.

"Come, Dear."


End file.
